Rob Newman

Web Development, Realtime Databases, Geoscience Visualization

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Latest News

2008-07-29
I experienced the largest earthquake since I moved to San Diego in 2001 today – a magnitude 5.4 that occurred in the Greater Los Angeles area near Chino Hills. Both the Anza and USArray networks recorded the event really clearly. The TV crews came through and did a pretty good job, thanks to Debi Kilb's excellent communication skills.

2008-07-28
Today we talked with the developers at SQLstream to see if streaming data from an Antelope Orb or Datascope RDMS into a SQL stream would help with some of the NFS connectivity issues we have been having recently. More on this soon.

2008-07-24
Today I gave a talk on the USArray experiment to the engineers from Google Oceans. They listened to what myself and several other SIO data managers use Google Earth/Oceans for, and how we can work together to generate some quality toolsets that are in line with SIO's mission statement. We also saw some new functionality in the Google Earth/Oceans applications, but were told not to talk about them as they are still under development. Needless to say, they have a few tricks up their sleeves. I gave a demo of my dynamically created KML file that uses two XML files as it's source - one from webdlmon and one from the USArray master database, which essentially creates a Google Earth version of webdlmon that auto-updates every few minutes.

News Archive »

Status

I am a geophysics programmer/analyst/researcher at the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego. I am currently involved in several projects that are porting realtime data in Antelope Datascope databases and object ring buffers (ORBs) onto the world wide web through use of the Antelope Realtime system and the PHP Hypertext Processor protocol.

I organize the Webheads discussion group at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Every month a talk on a current or emerging software, system or web-based technology is presented by a group member or invited outside speaker.

I am also an occasional reviewer for manuscripts published in Seismic Research Letters and Computers and Geoscience.

Goals

• Develop a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for web-presentation of real-time sensor network data
• To build a library of PHP classes and functions that interface to the Antelope Real Time System (ARTS)
• Commit these classes and functions to the global real time community via the Antelope CVS Contrib area
• Integrate the Antelope interface to PHP into various PHP frameworks and content-management systems including Drupal
• The use of cascading style sheets (CSS) to separate content from layout in web site development
• Application of W3C coding standards
• Realtime database (Antelope, MySQL, PostgreSQL) manipulation and communication via web protocols (PHP, Perl)

Projects

Antelope Realtime Systems and the Internet

In concert with several other developers, I am working on porting the X-windows based Antelope Real Time Software suite to a web-based platform using Perl, PHP and Python. Some Antelope documentation I have written is listed below:

• Create an Antelope mail archive
• Adding new projects to the Antelope contrib area using CVS
• Using Subversion to version control web sites

Websites Using the Antelope PHP Interface (Datascope, Orb and sysinfo)

• Array Network Facility (ANF)
• Broadband Seismic Data Collection Center
• Realtime Imagebank

Programming Languages

Peer-reviewed Publications

• D. Slater, K. Smith, K. Lindquist, R.L. Newman, C. Freinkel, J. Torrisi, and G. Biasi (2008) Use of Mobile Devices for Earthquake Response, Network Applications, and Diagnostics, Seismological Research Letters, V.79, no.4, p.562-570.
• K.G. Lindquist, R.L. Newman and F.L. Vernon (2007) The Antelope Interface to PHP and Applications: Web-based Real-time Monitoring, Seismological Research Letters, V.78, no.6, p.587-594.
• T.H. Bell and R. Newman (2006) Appalachian orogenesis: The role of repeated gravitational collapse. Geological Society of America Special Paper 414: Styles of Continental Contraction: V. 414, no. 0, p. 95-118
• D. Kilb, C.S. Keen, R.L. Newman, G.M. Kent, D.T. Sandwell, F.L. Vernon, C.L. Johnson, and J.A. Orcutt (2003) The Visualization Center at Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Education and Outreach, Seismological Research Letters, V.74, no.5, p.641-648.
• D. Kilb, R.L. Newman, F.L. Vernon, J.A. Eakins, L. Ziegler, J. Bowen and Otero, J. (2003) Education and Outreach based on data from the ANZA seismic network in Southern California, Seismological Research Letters, V.74, no.5, p.522-528.

Conference Abstracts

If the title is a hyperlink, please click the link to view the complete abstract.

2007

• Newman, R.L., Lindquist, K.G., Vernon, F.L., Davis, G.A., Eakins, J. and Astiz, L., 2007, Web-based tools for real-time assessment of Earthscope's Transportable Array state-of- health: integration of the Antelope Real Time System, RRDtool, AJAX and PHP, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(23) Jt. Assem. Suppl., Abstract S23A-03
• Vernon, F.L., Eakins, J., Martynov, V., Newman, R.L., Offield, G., Hindley, A. and Astiz, L., 2007, ANZA Seismic Network- From Monitoring to Science, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(23) Jt. Assem. Suppl., Abstract S33C-05
• Astiz, L., Eakins, J.E., Vernon, F.L., Martynov, V., Newman, R.L., Cox, T.A., Mulder, T.L. and Busby, R.W., 2007, Real-time operation of the NSF EarthScope USArray Transportable Array, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(23) Jt. Assem. Suppl., Abstract S34A-01
• Slater, D., Lindquist, K.G., Newman, R.L., Smith, K. and Tibuleac, I., 2007, Use of Mobile Devices for Seismic Network Applications, Diagnostics and Responses, 2007 SSA Annual Meeting, Hawaii.
• Newman, R.L., Lindquist, K.G., Vernon, F.L., Davis, G.A., Eakins, J., and Astiz, L., 2007, Advances in web-based visualization of the state-of-health of Earthscope's Transportable Array: webdlmon, EarthScope 2007 Meeting.
• Eakins, J.A., Vernon, F.L., Martynov,V., Astiz, L., Newman, R.L., Cox, T.A., 2007, The EarthScope USArray Array Network Facility (ANF): Metadata, Network and Data Monitoring, and Quality Assurance, EarthScope 2007 Meeting.

2006

• Newman, R.L., Lindquist, K.G., Foley, S., Davis, G.A., Vernon, F.L., Eakins, J. and Astiz, L., 2006, Monitoring the Monitors: Assessing and Visualizing the State-of-Health of Earthscope's Transportable Array, Fall 2006 AGU Meeting.

2005

• Nayak, A., F. Vernon, G. Kent, J. Orcutt, D. Kilb, R.L. Newman, J. Eakins, L. Smarr, T. DeFanti, J. Leigh, L. Renambot, A. Johnson, iCluster : Visualizing USArray data on a scalable high resolution tiled display using the OptIPuter, GEON meeting, May 2005.
• Newman, R.L., Lindquist, K.G., Vernon, F.L., Hansen, T.S., Foley, S., Eakins, J. and Orcutt, J., 2005, Applying a toolkit for dissemination and analysis of near real-time data through the World Wide Web: integration of the Antelope Real Time System, ROADNet, and PHP, Fall 2005 AGU Meeting.
• Lindquist, K.G., Newman, R.L., Vernon, F.L., Hansen, T.S. and Orcutt, J., 2005, Improvements to Web Toolkits for Antelope-based Real-time Monitoring Systems, Fall 2005 AGU Meeting.
• Eakins, J.A., Vernon, F.L., Martynov,V., Newman, R.L., Lindquist, K.L., Cox, T.A., Foley, S., and A. Hindley, 2005, The Earthscope USArray Array Network Facility (ANF): Metadata, Network and Data Monitoring, Quality Assurance During the Second Year of Operations, Fall 2005 AGU Meeting.

2004

• Newman, R.L., Lindquist, K.G., Hansen, T.S., Vernon, F.L., Eakins, J. and Foley, S., 2004, Web-based Data Mining to Systematically Determine Data Quality From the EarthScope USArray Seismic Observatory Project, Fall 2004 AGU Meeting.
• Kilb, D., Bowen, J., Eakins, J., Lindquist, K.G., Martynov, V., Newman, R.L., Otero, J., Prieto, G., Vernon, F.L., Ziegler, L., 2004, Generation of 3D interactive visualization tools pertaining to significant earthquakes in southern California & noteworthy global earthquakes, SCEC Meeting.
• Nayak, A.M., Vernon, F.L., Kent, G., Orcutt, J., Kilb, D., Newman, R.L., Smarr, L., DeFanti, T., Leigh, J., Renambot, L. and Johnson, A., 2004, High resolution visualization of USArray data on a 50 megapixel display using OptIPuter technologies, Fall 2004 AGU Meeting.
• Eakins, J., Vernon, F.L., Martynov, V., Newman, R.L. and Foley, S., 2004, USArray Array Network Facility (ANF): Metadata, Network and Data Monitoring, and Quality Assurance During the First Year of Operations, Fall 2004 AGU Meeting.

2003

• Nayak A.M., Kilb D., Newman R., Kent G., Vernon F.L. and Orcutt J., 2004, The Potential Role of the Optiputer in the Earthscope Project, Seimological Society of America.
• Newman, R.L., Kilb, D., Nayak, A.M. and Kent, G., 2003, The Role of Research Institutions in Building Visual Content for the Geowall, Fall 2003 AGU Meeting.
• Nayak, A. M., Lindquist, K., Kilb, D., Newman, R., Vernon, F. L., Leigh, J., Johnson, A. and Renambot, L., 2003, Using 3D Glyph Visualization to Explore Real-time Seismic Data on Immersive and High-resolution Display Systems, Fall 2003 AGU Meeting.
• Lindquist, K.G., Newman, R.L., Nayak, A.M., Vernon, F.L., Nelson, C., Hansen, T.S. and Yuen-Wong, R, 2003, Dynamic Web Expression for Near-real-time Sensor Networks, Fall 2003 AGU Meeting.

2002

• Newman, R.L., 2002, High End Visualization of Geophysical Datasets Using Immersive Technology: The SIO Visualization Center, Fall 2002 AGU Meeting.

Background

• 2000 - Co-founder, Osmotion Studios.
• 2001 - Ph.D. Geological Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811, Australia
• 1995 - B.Sc (Hons) First Class Geological Sciences, The University of Leeds, Leeds, England

Disclaimer

This information is freely provided as–is. Messing around with the command line and creating files is a serious business, and I accept no liability for errors created, systems corrupted, or hard–disk damage by you following these instructions. They worked for me but may not work for you. Remember to back–up EVERYTHING before you try any of this stuff — it is not simple OR easy!!!

If you have any questions about this please email me at rlnewman@ucsd.edu and I will try my best to help you out.